Xie Lian coaxed him, "Don't be afraid, it's okay. I just wanted to check your injuries." But the child covered his mouth tighter and tighter, revealing only one large, dark eye, which revealed a look of panic. But this panic didn't seem to be a fear of being hit, but rather a fear of him discovering something.

Looking at this small half of his face and one eye, Xie Lian suddenly felt as if he had seen this child somewhere before, and squinted slightly. Seeing his extremely grim expression, he said with a sad face, "My dear cousin, that little idiot ruined your ceremony yesterday. I'm here to help you vent your anger. Don't worry, I've been very careful, he won't die."

Sure enough, the child in his arms was the toddler who fell from the city wall during the Lantern Festival yesterday!

No wonder the more Xie Lian looked at him, the more familiar he looked. The kid hadn't even changed his clothes; they were still the same as yesterday. It was just that from all the beatings and dragging, they were even dirtier than yesterday. It was impossible to tell they were the same clothes, much less the same person. Xie Lian, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Who told you I was going to vent my anger? What does this kid have to do with it? It's not his fault!"

Qi Rong, however, argued confidently, "Of course it's his fault. If it weren't for him, how could you be scolded by the Imperial Master?"

The commotion was so intense that the crowd gathered around, whispering among themselves. Coincidentally, Mu Qing also approached. Qi Rong pointed his whip at him, his expression tinged with discontent and anger, saying, "And you, this servant. You can tell he's restless. If you don't discipline him now, he'll sooner or later rebel against you, his master. I helped you teach him a lesson, but instead you protected him and reported me. Now my aunt and uncle have caught me and given me a good scolding, and they've even confiscated my golden carriage. Cousin, that was my birthday present! I've been looking forward to it for over two years!"

Mu Qing glanced at Qi Rong with a gloomy look. Xie Lian, furious, turned into a laugh and said, "I don't need you to do this for my own good. Are you venting your anger on me, or on yourself?"

"..." Qi Rong said, "Cousin, why do you say that to me? If I stand by you, what have I done wrong?"

Xie Lian couldn't convince him, so he said, "Qi Rong, listen carefully. From now on, you are not allowed to touch this child again. Not even a finger. Do you understand?"

At this moment, Xie Lian's neck suddenly tightened. He was already furious, and he froze for a moment. He looked down and saw the child burying his face in his arms, his hands tightly wrapped around his neck. Xie Lian felt him tremble violently, thinking he was in pain, and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

The child was covered in dirt, dust, and blood, filthy beyond measure. All of it stained Xie Lian's white clothes, but Xie Lian paid no attention. He patted him on the back in a reassuring gesture and said in a deep voice, "It's alright. I'll take you to the doctor now."

The child didn't answer, but instead tightened his grip around him. He clung to him, clinging to him like a lifeline. Seeing Xie Lian completely unappreciative of his kindness, his heart focused on the stranger, and the child rubbing his bloody, muddy mess all over Xie Lian, Qi Rong was enraged. He whipped his horsewhip, ready to lash the child on the back of the head. Feng Xin, who had been standing nearby, suddenly launched a kick, striking Qi Rong in the arm.

With a "crack," Qi Rong screamed, his whip falling to the ground. His right arm bent at an unusual angle and drooped limply. He was still in disbelief, and after a long moment, he slowly raised his head, stared at Feng Xin, and said word by word, "You, dared, to break my arm!"

This sentence chilled Feng Xin to the bone. Feng Xin only realized what he had done after the kick, and his face changed slightly. Mu Qing's expression, however, changed even more dramatically.

How much they hated Qi Rong behind his back was one thing, but for a guard to accidentally break the arm of a royal relative was another matter entirely!

Although Xie Lian had been holding the child in his arms and surrounded by onlookers, making it difficult to dodge, he could have easily done so if he had wanted to. Qi Rong's attack was fierce and often sudden, and Feng Xin's moves were too fast for him to think carefully. Now, the situation was even more chaotic, and he couldn't stop him in time, so he couldn't care less. His clothes were soaked with blood, and he was afraid that if he delayed any longer, the child would die. Xie Lian acted decisively, took a deep breath, and said loudly, "Everyone, if anyone present today is involved and suffers any losses, please note them for now. I will take responsibility for them later and will not shirk responsibility!"

Then, he said to Feng Xin and Mu Qing, "Save the child first. Take Qi Rong away and don't let him continue to mess around outside!" With that, he turned and rushed towards the palace, holding the child in his arms. Feng Xin's expression returned to normal upon receiving the order. He picked up the enraged Qi Rong and followed him into the palace. The soldiers at the palace gate were surprised to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince rushing back like a whirlwind just an hour after leaving. Although they didn't dare to stop him, Xie Lian rushed all the way to the Imperial Physician's Office. He had Feng Xin and Mu Qing escort Qi Rong outside while he went in.

It was a rare occasion for His Royal Highness to return to the palace, and it was rare for him to issue an order, so the imperial physicians naturally had to rush over. Xie Lian placed the child on a chair and said, "Thank you all. This child was just beaten by several adults, then put into a sack and dragged along the ground. Please help me check his head for any injuries. This is the most important thing."

Although the imperial doctors had never seen the royal noble rush in with a dirty, wild child in his arms to ask them to treat him, they knew they should do whatever they were told to do, and they nodded in agreement. One of them said, "Little friend, put your hands down first."

However, the child, who had been perfectly well-behaved all the way in Xie Lian's arms, now became stubborn, clutching the right side of his face tightly and refusing to let go. No matter how skilled the imperial physician was, he couldn't treat an uncooperative patient. The other imperial physicians looked at Xie Lian, "Your Highness, what's this...?"

Xie Lian raised his hand slightly and said, "Maybe he's shy. It's okay, I'll do it."

The child sat on a chair, and Xie Lian couldn't look at him straight in the eye. So he leaned over slightly, bent at the waist, tilted his head, and asked, "What's your name?"

The child stared straight at him with one large eye, its dark pupils reflecting a snow-white image. This look, if I had to describe it, was exactly as Feng Xin had said—"as if possessed by a demon, a ghost." It shouldn't have appeared on a child.

After a while, he lowered his head and said, "...Hong..."

His voice was low and soft, a little muffled, as if he didn't want to say it, or was a little embarrassed. Xie Lian only vaguely caught the word "red" before asking, "How old are you?"

The child said, "Ten years old."

Xie Lian had only asked casually, intending to dispel his guard, but when he shyly answered "ten," he was taken aback, thinking, "I thought he was only seven or eight, but he's actually ten? This kid is really frail."

After a pause, Xie Lian smiled faintly and said, "Now, the doctors will help you with your injuries. Don't be afraid. Just put your hands down, okay?"

The child hesitantly shook his head after hearing this. Xie Lian asked, "Why not?"

After a long silence, he said, "Ugly."

He only uttered that single word, and no matter how much he was coaxed, he refused to let go and look at his head. Xie Lian swore he wasn't ugly, but he wouldn't look, even if he turned around. Despite his young age, he was incredibly stubborn. Helpless, the imperial physicians had no choice but to ask him a few questions and have him identify a few hand signs to confirm he wasn't dizzy or had a headache, and that his vision and thoughts were clear. Then they began treating his injuries first.

As the treatment progressed, the imperial doctors seemed perplexed and marveled at the result. Xie Lian, who had been standing by, heard the noise and asked, "Everyone, how is it going?"

An imperial physician couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, was this child really beaten up and then stuffed into a sack and dragged all the way?"

Xie Lian was speechless for a moment, then said, “That’s not true.”

The imperial physician said, "That's...remarkable. I've never seen anyone so resilient. Five broken ribs, a leg, and a variety of injuries, yet he's still conscious, sitting and standing, and able to talk to people. Even an adult would find it difficult to do that, let alone a ten-year-old child."

Upon hearing the severity of the injury, Xie Lian's anger towards Qi Rong intensified. He then glanced at the child, who sat in the chair, seemingly unperturbed by the pain, his large, black left eye still furtively watching him. Realizing he'd been caught, the child immediately turned away.